First we will cover the history of the category, then take a look at the specifications of each style highlighting the similarities and differences. We then move onto the best part which is sampling each style which uncovers some expected and surprising results.

History

1 – Light Lager

These styles of beer are all lagers and have their origins in Germany and the Czech Republic. Lagers use bottom-fermenting yeasts and require a cooler fermentation than ales in order to avoid off flavors and strong esters being given off by the yeast strains. Once fermentation is complete the beer undergoes lagering (‘lager’ is German for storage) in temperatures just above freezing. This lasts for 2 or more months in order for the clean and crisp flavors to round out within the beer and the yeast to re-absorb any undesirable bi-products such as diacetyl. The American variants were originally brewed by German immigrants to the USA in the late 1800’s who brought with them their liking for these styles of beer as well as their knowledge and techniques.

Overview

According to Jamil Zainasheff, in his book Brewing Classic Styles, this category covers a wide range of sub-styles ranging from low-calorie, light-flavored Light American lager to the rich, flavorful, but balanced Dortmunder Export style. The German-style lagers tend to be more malt- or malt/hop-focused than the American-style lagers.

The first 3 styles are subtle variations on American Lagers and the following table* shows how they vary between the individual styles:

Characteristic

Lite American Lager

Standard American Lager

Premium American Lager

Original Gravity

1.028 – 1.040

1.040 – 1.050

1.046 – 1.056

Final Gravity

0.998 – 1.008

1.004 – 1.010

1.008 – 1.012

ABV (alcohol %)

2.8 – 4.2

4.2 – 5.3

4.6 – 6.0

IBU’s (bitterness)

8 – 12

8 – 15

15 – 25

SRM (color)

2 – 3

2 – 4

2 – 6

The above table clearly shows that the main difference between these 3 styles is the alcohol strength which is largely down to the amount of grain used to make these beers. This can be seen by the rise in Original Gravity that gets higher as the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) increases. There is also a slight increase in the range of SRM (Standard Reference Method), or darkness in color, which is largely due to more grain being used.

The last 2 styles are variations on German Lagers and the following table* shows how they vary between the individual styles:

Characteristic

Munich Helles

Dortmunder Export

Original Gravity

1.045 – 1.051

1.048 – 1.056

Final Gravity

1.008 – 1.012

1.010 – 1.015

ABV (alcohol %)

4.7 – 5.4

4.8 – 6.0

IBU’s (bitterness)

16 – 22

23 – 30

SRM (color)

3 – 5

4 – 6

The above table shows that the Dortmunder Export is a slightly stronger lager than the Munich Helles which is also more bitter.

In the following sections we will look in more detail at each of the above Beer Styles.

Lite American Lager

Sam Adams Light

Most people are familiar with the macro light beers such as Bud Light, Miller Lite & Coors Light which are often drank as a low-calorie and lower alcohol alternative to Standard or Premium American Lagers. We opted to sample a different commercial example, Sam Adams Light, which according to the web site of Boston Beer Company has the following characteristics:

ABV = 4.3% (max ABV for style is 4.2%)

IBU’s = 10

SRM = 11 (max SRM for style is 3)

The beer had a surprising amount of mouth-feel rather than being watery as many other examples in this category often are. The appearance was also somewhat darker than expected which is supported by the high SRM level for this example. Overall this Lite American Lager tasted good with more flavor than anticipated.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include:

Two-row or six-row malted barley.

Adjuncts such as rice or corn/maize (up to 40%).

Standard American Lager

Pabst Blue Ribbon

Well known brands of beer within this category include Budweiser, Labatt Blue, Coors Original, and Foster’s Lager. We sampled Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) which according to the web site of Pabst Brewing Company has the following characteristics:

ABV = 4.74%

Although we do not know the actual IBU’s or SRM from the PBR web site, the beer was definitely lighter in color than Sam Adams Light and we felt it had less mouth-feel and flavor though it was very clean and crisp.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include:

Two-row or six-row malted barley.

Adjuncts such as rice or corn/maize (up to 40%).

Premium American Lager

Beck’s

Commercial examples of this category include Miller Genuine Draft (MGD), Michelob, Birra Moretti, Heineken, Red Stripe, Singha, and Stella Artois. We sampled Beck’s which according to the web site of Brauerei Beck has the following characteristics:

ABV = 5.0%

IBU’s = 12 (min IBU’s are 15)

It is common knowledge within the beer industry that beer should be packaged in brown bottles in order to avoid ‘skunking’ which is what happens when Ultra Violet (UV) penetrates the glass, that is unless specially treated hops are used within the brewing process. Some European beers do use green bottles, which includes Beck’s, so we are not sure whether we had a skunky bottle or this particular beer has an ‘unusual’ taste…

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include:

Two-row or six-row malted barley.

Adjuncts such as rice or corn/maize (up to 25%).

A question to ponder, why is Beck’s classed as a Premium American Lager yet on www.becks.de the beer is referred to as Beck’s Pils which implies it is a German Pilsner?

Munich Helles

Spaten Premium Lager

The majority of these beers unsurprisingly come from Germany, and in particular Bavaria. The commercial example we managed to find was Spaten Premium Lager and according to the Spaten web site it has the following characteristics:

ABV = 5.2%

IBU’s = 21

This is another beer packaged in green bottles but without the ‘unusual’ flavor of the Beck’s. This beer should possess a bready, malty character yet be a clean lager. There is also a slightly sweet flavor but not a malty sweetness, more of a grainy, toasty sweetness that is not present with the three American Lagers.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include:

Pilsner malted barley.

German noble hop varieties.

German Lager yeast.

Dortmunder Export

Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold

Genuine German examples of this style such as DAB Export, Dortmunder Union Export, Dortmunder Kronen, and Ayinger Jahrhundert are not easy to find within the USA so we sampled a Midwest American example from Great Lakes called Dortmunder Gold. According to their web site it has the following characteristics:

ABV = 5.8%

IBU’s = 30

This beer is at the top of the style from a ABV and IBU’s perspective and has a great flavor. In our opinion it is the best example that we sampled within this category though the use of Cascade and Mt. Hood hops is not necessarily to style. Mt. Hood is an American version of a Noble hop but Cascade is very much a West Coast hop with a grapefruit/citrus aroma.

Typical ingredients used when brewing this style include:

Pilsner malted barley.

German or Czech noble hops.

German lager yeast.

What next?

Our next article will look at BJCP Category 2, ‘Pilsner‘, where we will examine the three styles that originate from Germany, the Czech Republic, and pre-prohibition America.

If you have any questions or comments about this article, please do not hesitate to contribute to the discussion below.